Marisa (Reese) Grondin Elected President of The Haitian Project
Marisa (Reese) Grondin, president-elect of The Haitian Project
The Haitian Project (THP) Board of Directors has unanimously voted to elect veteran employee and THP Volunteer alumna Marisa (Reese) Grondin as president of The Haitian Project as long-time President Deacon Patrick Moynihan steps down after 23 years at the helm.
A Rhode Island native, Reese currently serves as vice president and chief financial officer at THP and will assume the role of president beginning January 1, 2020.
THP’s Board of Directors also voted unanimously to appoint Deacon Moynihan as president emeritus of The Haitian Project in recognition of his significant contributions to the organization and his continued commitment to its success.
Reflecting on the transition, Deacon Moynihan said, “For my part, the change in leadership is not a departure, but simply a repositioning to open up space for the next generation of the Project’s leadership to allow our new vision for the Louverture Cleary Schools Network—a national system of ten schools across Haiti—to thrive.” Deacon Moynihan, who will serve as advisor to the president during the transition period, continued, “I look forward to supporting Reese and Jimi, lending them my experience when called upon, and focusing on the success of The Network in Haiti."
The Grondin Family (from left): Jimi, Maggie, Reese and Gabby
Reese and her husband, James (Jimi) Grondin, a Volunteer alumnus as well as THP’s director of new school construction, along with their two daughters, Gabriella (Gabby) and Marguerite (Maggie), are stepping forward to serve the Project at an exciting time in THP’s history.
States THP Vice Chair and Haitian private sector leader Patrick Brun, “Reese embodies the Charism of THP, and her experience, from volunteer to accountant to vice president, has prepared her well for the position of president. Because of her all-encompassing attributes, she is also both loved and respected by the LCS community.”
The Grondin family has been an important part of the THP community since both Reese and Jimi joined as Volunteer teachers at Louverture Cleary School (LCS) in 2001. As a senior at Notre Dame, Reese knew that she did not want to take the typical career path. As Divine Providence would have it, Reese’s sister, a parishioner at St. Joseph's Parish in Newport, RI, saw a notice in the parish bulletin for THP around the same time Reese learned about the Project through Notre Dame’s Center for Social Concern. Reese was drawn to THP and LCS because she saw that the school “was about much more than the Volunteers. It had made progress and had a clear mission.”
As a Volunteer, Reese quickly grasped THP’s charism and the transformative potential of an LCS education. As her first year drew to a close, she knew that she wanted to stay involved. She approached THP President Deacon Moynihan about a second year, and he offered her the opportunity to serve the Project in the US as assistant executive director.
For Reese, learning about all the work that was needed back home to keep everything running smoothly in Haiti opened up a host of new opportunities and gave her a greater appreciation for the complexity of running the Project. “I really enjoyed learning about the US side of operations. I helped with Volunteer recruitment and took on some accounting responsibilities. It was a privilege to be with the Project at that time and watch it grow,” she said.
Volunteer teacher Reese Jarret (Grondin) with an LCS student in 2001.
During her 17 years with the Project, Reese has served in almost every segment of the organization, including spending two years as acting president.
“I had been working very closely with Deacon Moynihan, so it felt natural. It was what needed to be done at the time and it was an amazing opportunity. I had the chance to work closely with Esther Paul [director of operations at LCS] and the people on the ground in Haiti and in the US,” she stated. “To watch what the Moynihan family has contributed to the Project and being a part of something that is bigger than you, but also knowing that your work will make an impact…it has been a privilege,” she continued.
For Jimi and Reese, THP has always been a family affair. Jimi has been supportive of Reese’s work with the Project and stayed involved himself since his Volunteer year. Recently, he stepped up his long-standing support by accepting the position of director of new school construction, a role that will rely heavily on his experience working in Haiti and his significant professional construction experience.
That deep knowledge of THP and LCS’s charism extends to the couple’s daughters, who have grown up with the Project. “A couple of years ago, Gabby told me that she wanted to be a doctor and a teacher and, on the weekends, work for THP,” Reese smiled. The family model has been an integral part of THP’s success over the years, and the Grondin family’s decades of involvement and renewed commitment will be vital moving forward.
For Reese, the future holds infinite promise, and she feels motivated to lead the Project’s effort to build The LCS Network. “For me, seeing the certainty and excitement that people like Patrick Brun and others in Haiti have that The Network is the solution is a really powerful witness,” she said. “It shows me that we are following God’s plan and that we just need to keep working towards it,” she continued.
THP will continue its progress toward that mission that drew Reese to sign up as a Volunteer almost twenty years ago: to enact change in Haiti through education.
“My goal is to keep our excellent program strong and to work with our partners in Haiti to realize the [Network] plan,” she said with confidence. “When you talk to our students and graduates, you realize this is what the country needs—you can see that they feel it,” she continued. “Imagine if we have 500 amazing graduates each year going out and making a difference in Haiti. Imagine what that will be like and what that will be for Haiti. It will be incredible.”
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